Formed in Sydney, Australia in 1983, alternative rock group Died Pretty was founded by core members vocalist Ron Peno and guitarist Brett Myers. Formerly of Australian bands The Hellcats, The 31st and The Screaming Tribesmen, Peno and Myers first performed together with keyboardist Frank Brunetti in a band called Final Solution. Bringing in drummer Rob Younger (Radio Birdmen), they changed their name to Died Pretty. After only a few months, Younger departed the band and was replaced by Colin Barwick at the same time they brought in Jonathan Lickliter, the first of several bassists that the band went through over the decades. Singing with Citadel Records, they played live and spent time in the studio laying down tracks, some of which wouldn’t be released for nearly a decade. Their first official release was 1985’s Next to Nothing EP, which was followed a year later by the album Free Dirt. The album was released outside of Australia and the band soon found themselves touring Europe, where they had built up a devoted following, and the US. Their 1988 album Lost was a critical success and sold well in Europe, reaching number 3 on the charts in Italy. They began achieving more success with albums such as the Jeff Eyrich-produced Every Brilliant Eye (1990) and several albums produced by Hugh Jones: Doughboy Hollow (number 24 / 1991) and Trace (number 11 / 1993). After building more interest back in Australia by touring with R.E.M., Died Pretty released more successful albums including Sold (number 29 / 1996), Using My Gills as a Road Map (1998), the compilation Out of the Unknown – The Best of Died Pretty (1999), and Everydaydream (2000). However, the group announced their farewell tour in 2002 and released one final single, “My Generation Landslide,” before they broke up. The members pursued solo projects, but Peno and Myers reunited in 2007 as the duo Noises and Other Voices. The following year, they reformed Died Pretty for a series of live shows. Died Pretty continued to reunite and perform live shows throughout the years although they never issued a studio follow-up to Everydaydream. However , beginning in April 2021, the group had to back out of live performances when it was announced that Ron Peno had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In March 2023, the group released Live Died Pretty, which had been recorded during their first reunion tour in 2008. Ron Peno on August 11, 2023, at the age of 68.
